November 13, 2008 at 8:12am
CHRISTOPHER WOOD: OFF DAY 6 â€" ASHKENAZ >>>
OK everyone, gather ‘round for today’s history lesson: In Biblical times, Noah (think John Huston in The Bible if that helps) begat Japhet who begat Gomer who begat Ashkenaz. Fast forward to the last century, and "Ashkenaz" became the term assigned to Jews living in the Rhineland, or more generally in Western Europe. Then Hitler got his own begetting on with World War II, which culminated in the founding of Israel.
Which brings us to 2007 with Ashkenaz, writer-director Rachel Leah Jones’s look at the Jewish state’s current social complexities. Constructed from impromptu interviews with residents of Tel Aviv, the film examines the paradoxes of Ashkenazi, or “Arab Jew,†identity. Between this privileged “white†bourgeoisie minority and its “black†counterpart, the Mizrahi, simmers an ever-present tension.
The Ashkenazi as a construct is a slippery one and hard to grasp, as evidenced by testimonials which often contradict one another. Persecuted or persecuting, this self-exiled group suppresses its own heritage while fearing and alienating other groups. Jones, a Jew herself and Israeli citizen, explains the situation as “European Jews having internalized anti-Semitic ideas…and externalizing that onto non-European Jews and onto Palestinians.â€
Even with this helpful summary, it might benefit viewers to reacquaint themselves with Jewry prior to watching Ashkenaz. Produced for Israeli television, the film understandably glosses over practices such as the kibbutz and the Yiddish tradition, a fact which could confuse American audiences. Also, the work lacks a strong emotional core. Jones approaches this deep-rooted social situation from mainly an intellectual standpoint. Her detached style doesn’t provide us a central character with whom to empathize, someone who epitomizes all the bewildering contradictions of the Ashkenazi experience.
Arriving on the heels of a presidential election which will force America to reexamine its own identity, the film couldn’t be timelier. Ashkenaz, though an assault on the brain, fails to go for the gut.
News and entertainment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s most awesome weekly newspapers - The Ranger, Northwest Airlifter and Weekly Volcano.
Thanks for posting! But I want say that Walkie Talkies are really required while organizing fun...
Really nice album. I have already purchased Vedder's Album. Listening to the song of this album,...
about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit
Your post contains very beneficial content. Kindly keep sharing such post.
Vedder's album is really nice. I have heard attentively
about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit
amazing information for getting the new ideas thanks for sharing a post
about 5 Things To Do Today: Art Chantry, DIY home improvement, "A Shot In The Dark" ...
446th Airlift Wing, 5 Things To Do, 62nd Airlift Wing, 7th Infantry Division, Air Force, All Ages, Army, Arts, Awards, Benefits, Best of Olympia, Best of TAcoma, Bobble Tiki, Books, Business, Camp Murray, Ceremony, Chainsuck, Classical Music, Comedy, Comment The The Day, Community, Concerts, Condemn or Allow?, Contest, Day Tripper, Deals, Defense Department, Deployment, DJ/Electronica, Events, Facebook, Fashion, Federal Way, Fife, Fircrest, Food & Drink, Future Things Are Coming, Games, Gay Rights, Genius, Gig Harbor, Green Crush, Happy Hour Hug, Health, History, Holidays, Honors, I Corps, In Their Words, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Judging by the Trailer, Keeping Up With The Coffeehouses, Kids, Lacey, Lakewood, Legislature, Madigan Army Medical Center, Marines, McChord Field, Media, Memorial, Military, Milton, Morning Joe, Music, National Guard, Navy, Nerd Alert!, New Beer Column, News To Us, Night Moves, Not Cool, Olympia, Outdoor Addict, outdoors, Photo Hot Spot, Podcast, Pop Culture, Poster of the Day, Puyallup, Radio, Rangers, Retail, Rocket Science, ROTC, Ruston, Schools, Screens, Sex, Shout Out, South Sound Sidekick, Spanaway, Special Forces, Sports, Steilacoom, Strykers, Summer Tip, Sumner, Tacoma, Talking Shop, The Mouth, Theater, Tightwad, Tournament of Burgers, Tournament of Mac and Cheese, Training, Travel, Twitter, University Place, USO, Veterans, Video Hot Spot, Volunteer, Web/Tech, Word, Wounded Warrior
Read Comments